Didn’t get that upgrade you wanted? You can always beat the steward with a slipper. Then you might get your way. Well…that’s what Indian MP Ravindra Gaikwad thought, at least.

When told he couldn’t fly business class, Mr. Gaikwad lost his temper, cursing and assaulting the steward with a slipper. He is now facing a police investigation. The parliamentarian told reporters that he it the steward “25 times” because of his “arrogance”. “What should have I done? He first misbehaved with me,” Mr. Gaikwad told reporters.

The airline staffer told news agencies that Mr. Gaikwad broke his glasses in the attack. He also remarked, “God save our country if this is the culture and behaviour of our MPs.”

What business seat?

Little good it would have done Mr. Gaikwad anyway. Business class wasn’t even an option on the Pune to Delhi flight, because there weren’t any J seats on the plane!! Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Gaikwad should have checked the flight info before booking.

Nobody should behave this way. Ravindra Gaikwad has no excuse for his actions, especially as a minister of the Indian Parliament. Air travel can already be aggravating enough to both staff and customers. Physical assault is utterly unacceptable.

Air India and all other airlines in the Federation of Indian Airlines condemned Mr. Gaikwad’s actions and have banned him from all flights following the incident. How did the minister ultimately return to Pune? By train. I hope he used the trip to think about his actions.

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About Me

Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at dan@pointswithacrew.com.